Mark van Doren once said: “A good teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary.” SusieFishbein – that quintessential teacher – is looking to wean devoted Kosher by Design cooks, off the book and onto self-actualization in the kitchen with her new cookbook “Kosher by Design CookingCoach.”

Cover Used by permission: ArtScroll Shaar Press

With over 400 full-color pictures by the talented John Uher, 10 pictorial coaching sections and a cross referenced index of 120 new recipes, this 8th title in ArtScroll‘s Kosher by Design series, imparts essential skills, techniques, tips and tools to help us excel in the kitchen. Cooking Coach includes sections on essential kitchen equipment, why 3 culinary knives will do the trick, key tips on buying and preparing fish, meat, chicken and side dishes, and my favorite, an easy to follow playbook of recipe variations that help stretch the budget without being mealtime boring or left-over repetitive.

The lay out is so picture laden and easy on the eye it could pass for an idiot’s guide to the kitchen were it not for its elegant descriptive content. I think what we all love about Susie most and what’s made her series such an enormous success, is her ability to deliver fool-proof recipes that are delicious and make us look like culinary heroes to our family and friends. In this latest cookbook, Susie wants to up the ante and move her loyal audience beyond the written recipe, teaching us essential skills to help us develop, discover and explore our own creative cooking abilities beyond the text and within our own selves; the ultimate gift of a true teacher.

From the book, page 184:

Bulgogi

Used by permission: ArtScroll Shaar Press

Photo by: John Uher, on page 185

Yield: 4 – 6 servings

Bulgogi is Korea’s most famous street food. It is also served in homes and restaurants, prepared on tabletop hibachi-style grills.

The key to this dish is slicing the meat paperr thin so it absorbs all the flavors of the marinade and cooks quickly. If you freeze the meat for 30-45 minutes out of it packaging in a piece of foil or parchment, it will be much easier to slice nicely.

8 cloves fresh garlic, sliced

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce **

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 1/2 pounds filet split, cut into paper thin 1/16 inch slices

1 head Bibb or Boston lettuce, separated into leaves.

Dipping Sauce

1 cup soy sauce

2 teaspoons honey

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1/2 teaspoon roasted or toasted sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

In a medium bowl mix the garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and cayenne. Add the sliced steak. Toss and stir to separate the slices and make sure they are well coated. Allow to marinate at room temperature for 15-20 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove the meat from the marinade and discard any remaining marinade. Sear the meat, in a single layer, allowing room between slices, you may need to do this in batches. If so, wipe out the pan between each batch and heat a bit more. oil. Don’t move the meat around. Get some good caramelization and then, using tongs, turn each slice over and repeat on the second side, 3-5 minutes in total cooking time.

Roll 1/2 cup meat in a Bibb lettuce leaf. Repeat until all the meat is rolled. Transfer to a plate or a platter.

In a small bowl, prepare the the clipping sauce. Whisk together the soy sauce, honey , ginger, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes.

** True Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies. If the kosher certification mark stands alone, then the percentage of anchovies is less than 1.6% of the whole product. Many rabbinical authorities say that this is okay to use with meat. If the kosher certification is on the label has a fish notation next to it, the level exceeds 1.6%; do not use it in meat dishes.

Page 27, in the Playbook section, lists what you can do with the leftovers of the above recipe:

Last week we had a very interesting and informative show with OSEM USA‘s President Izzet Ozdogan. The guest called in late due to circumstances beyond his control, but we still managed to get 20 minutes of the company’s history and how Israel’s own history impacted on it. We spoke about their exciting new kosher for Passover products and some of the company’s all year round iconic products. If you missed it, you can hear the show right here (scroll down that page to: On Demand Episodes).

This coming Wednesday, The Kosher Scene Show’s guest will be Paula Shoyer. She appeared on our original radio show and you can still hear the archived interview. A 1996 graduate of the Ritz Escoffier Ecole de Gastronomie Française in Paris, Paula Shoyer owns Paula’s Parisian Pastries Cooking School in the Washington, DC. area. She recipe tested and edited Susie Fishbein‘s Kosher By Design Entertains and Kosher By Design Kids In The Kitchen. Paula is also the author of the brand new bookThe Kosher Baker. Not only is this a beautiful tome, the attention to detail in its execution, the direction given in the recipes, make its publication an unparalleled event among kosher cookbooks.

This time, Chef Paula will talk to us about Pessach baking, we hope you will listen to what promises to be an informative, entertaining and mouthwatering show. Please tune us in, at 8:00pm Eastern Time tomorrow evening, Wednesday, the 30th of March. We’ll be expecting you, gentle reader. Give it a try, you’ll like it!